Beekeeping Education Program

The new Certified Beekeepers Apprentice program will provide quality education, taught by experienced beekeepers, on backyard beekeeping in the context of responsible urban farming for the Albuquerque metropolitan area.

It is organized through the New Mexico Beekeepers Association in cooperation with the City of Albuquerque.

The program is planned as a two-year curriculum seeking seven objectives:

Community education and outreach

Consistent training on best practices in beekeeping

Maintain online resources and open beekeeper meetings for education and outreach

Provide mentoring access for beekeepers

Promote the development of healthy, gently hives suitable for an urban environment

Provide volunteers for community hives

Support streamlined approach for managing swarms

Sessions for the 2014 Certified Beekeepers program are scheduled for seven Saturdays: May 10 and 31, June 14 and 28, July 12 and 26, and August 9, 2014.

Each session will include three classroom presentations by recognized local beekeepers and a supervised hands-on segment, using active top-bar and Langstroth honeybee hives, on the premises of the City of Albuquerque’s Open Space Visitors Center at 6500 Coors Blvd NW, Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Students who complete the two-year curriculum and 40 hours of volunteer service will be awarded their Beekeepers Certification. The cost for the 2014 sessions is $250, which includes a full-color handbook covering the essentials of beekeeping and seven, full-day sessions taught by long-time, experienced beekeepers.